Terrors End
This article, , is a filler chapter attached to Bleach: Cataclysm and the final part of the Bound by Blood arc, with a loose connection to the overall canon. It features Kentaro Hiroshi as the POV character, Vamp as the primary antagonist, with Hawke Kori and David Kori as support. Kensei Muguruma and Shūhei Hisagi are featured as background characters. ---- The battle began in earnest. Kentaro's opponent – whom he was going to call Vamp from this moment on because he looked so much like a sodding vampire – lunged at him with his teeth bared! Kentaro dodged to the side and drew his Zanpakuto swiftly, but by the time his blade ate the air where Vamp had been standing mere milliseconds before, Vamp was already attacking him again. No wonder Sanada and Akiye had been beaten so swiftly. Vamp was so quick Kentaro was struggling to follow him. It wasn't just agility or his reflexes that had increased. He was reading the flow of battle far better now than he had in their prior two battles, and it was beginning to grate in Kentaro's nerves a little. “Don't get cocky.” Kentaro advised as he noticed Vamp's deepening grin. “It might just be your undoing.” But saying it was very different from doing it. Vamp broke through Kentaro's defences and struck him in the jaw, sending him reeling. The son of Kenji and Ino barely brought his Zanpakuto up to block Vamp's follow-up strike. As his fingers glanced along the edge of his Zanpakuto Kentaro noticed the lengthened fingernails on Vamp's hand, and how they dripped with blood. He recalled the injuries inflicted upon Sanada, who had appeared to have been savaged by a clawed beast. His anger, which had been quiet up until now, rose in his chest. He broke the deadlock with a decisive twist which he followed up with a powerful kick to Vamp's stomach! “I wonder...” Kentaro mused aloud. “... Do you hear it? The sound of the wind? Let me enlighten you.” A growl was all that Vamp answered with. “I'll take that as a 'no'.” Kentaro remarked. His expression hardened and his spiritual power sharpened! Kensei and Shuhei slaughtered Hollow left-and-right all around, their Hollowfied reiatsu filling the ait all around, but all Kentaro focused upon was his enemy. The sheer amount of killing intent reflected in Kentaro's Zanpakuto caused even the instinctual based Vamp to visibly gulp, who then attempted to flee. But the sky held no safety. Kentaro was upon him in an instance! He slashed once and although Vamp managed to avoid the strike blood erupted from a wound in his shoulder as Kentaro applied the oscillating wind currents of the dreaded Niten style. Kentaro's smile, which was all mocking and arrogance, echoed his Kage persona to a tee. “There are very few people capable of dealing with countless minuscule wind blades striking their body all at once, even if you weren't touched.” Kentaro noted. “The Niten is a style my father never mastered; he said it was too brutal to suit his needs, and that its power could never be properly controlled. He later regretted his part in the styles creation. But I mastered it. I suppose that means I'm a darker person than my father... but I honestly don't care. The Niten is a tool and a tool I use without reservation!” During his explanation Vamp had recovered from his wounds and summoned additional Hollow which now surged towards Kentaro all-at-once! “More Hollow?” He asked with a chuckle of annoyance. But Kentaro never got the chance to deal with them. Shuhei was as good as his word. He assumed the form of a black tornado as he sped past the summoned Hollow, the sheer speed of his hurricane-like movements making the paths of Kazeshini unpredictable even to Kentaro's focused eyes. But more followed afterwards. But then it happened and Kentaro could hardly contain his joy. The surrounding Hollow – including those engaged by Kensei and Shuhei – where eradicated by a storm of spirit arrows! David, with Hawke at his side, released a countless stream of arrows at anything that moved. “Hurry up and finish this.” David said, sounding somewhat irritated. “Yeah, you're posturing.” Hawke remarked. “Kill it or I will.” It was just like Hawke and David to bust his balls. But in a way he was happy to see them. “Yeah, yeah!” Kentaro shouted back. “I was just about to when David started spraying arrows in every direction like a blind man trying to hit flies.” “Who're you calling blind!?” David roared. “You David. Or are you stupid as well as blind?” Hawke followed up. Kentaro left them to his bickering knowing full-well that what he had begun would last the remainder of the day and perhaps into the next. They didn't share a drop of blood with one-another but the adopted brothers always liked to have the last word, so it was no surprise that they ended up coming to blows themselves quite often. “Where are you going?” Kentaro appeared right in-front of Vampp and struck him hard between the eyes with the hilt of his Zanpakuto! Half-blinded and roaring with rage Vamp attempted to futilely lash out, but Kentaro flowed around his attacks before slashing once across his body, which he followed with a thrust-kick. Vamp went trailing backwards but even as he did Kentaro slashed the air in-front without moving, using the Niten style to cut his foe at range with wind. “Time to finish this I think.” He flash-stepped towards Vamp and put his palm nonchalantly on his chest. He applied Rikujōkōrō and Sajō Sabaku in quick succession so that Vamp wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He then backed away and fired Shakkahō at his foe, whose clothing began to catch on fire, though this only brought forth a roar of rage from Vamp and a curious little smile from Kentaro. Vamp began to strain against the restraints placed upon him and he may have gotten somewhere had Kentaro been in a better mood. But as it stood he wasn't. Shakkahō was merely the first step in Vamp's demise. Now it was time to close the door of the trap firmly closed. “Illuminate the far heavens, faith-filled flames! Nigendo #3: Sōtōzashū.” A square-shaped barrier surrounded Vamp and within the confines erupted a torrent of red-orange flames! “I told you I'd scatter your ashes to the wind.” Kentaro said. “I meant it.” With that the sky cleared and the Hollow ceased, leaving Nigendo in a peaceful state once more. But despite it all Kentaro knew that, at best, this had been a distraction and nothing more. They still had the Imawashi to deal with, the Kikkasho to find, the Gotei Remnant to tangle with, and not to mention Kaede's Joren. Things where about to get a whole lot worse. “For now though...” He whispered. “I'll take some peace.”